Western Region News

In July, over 640 Arrowmen from across the nation came together for two weeks in West Virginia to form Operation Arrow, the largest operating OA staff the jamboree has ever seen. With a staff of this size, the OA cheerfully gave service to all aspects of the jamboree. From helping with service projects and leading troops on their treks to ushering the jamboree shows and providing a smile all throughout the Summit Bechtel Reserve. Additionally, there was a small staff working behind the scenes that were dedicated to the task of educating everyone at the jamboree exactly what the Order of the Arrow is.

Arrowmen from all around the Region gathered in the Pacific Northwest for a
weekend full of top-tier training, coffee, and donuts on the first weekend of October.
Camp Kuratli, just outside of Portland, OR, served as the location for one of the last
National Leadership Seminars (NLS) of the year. The weekend was filled with state of
the art leadership training that is comparable to any training in the business world.

The 2017 National Scouting Jamboree is over, but the impact that Operation Arrow had on not only the participants but also the entire staff is continuing to live on. Operation Arrow was the OA’s initiative to have the largest OA staff on Jamboree, and that goal was exceeded. Over 650 Arrowmen from across the nation participated in helping perform this extraordinary event.

On Friday, September 15th, 530 Arrowmen from all around Area 4 gathered at the Irvine Outdoor Education Center in Irvine, California for a weekend filled with fun and fellowship – an event that took two years to plan and hasn’t occured for nearly 27 years.

Planning for the Areaclave began back in 2016, when two Section Chiefs, Matthias Leier and Javier Venegas of W-4N and W-4S started brainstorming a potential Area Conclave. Then in 2017, the planning continued in under the leadership of chiefs, Jorge Salazar and Matthew McMahan, who headed a joint area CoC in the year leading up to the Areaclave. At Areaclave, trainings, patch trading, auctions, sports, museums, shows, and lodge fairs were amongst the many activities offered to the Arrowmen in attendance.

The Scouting family has stepped up in a big way to support Puerto Rico. In less than two weeks, Scouts and Scouters have purchased more than $32,000 in patches.
Area Director Jim Hans recently visited Puerto Rico to survey the damages to the offices and camp.
“Two months post Maria, and the damage is still astounding,” he writes. “Most still don’t have electricity, and while roads have been cleared, debris is everywhere. On my way to camp I drove for three to four miles on a road where every single power pole was laying on the ground It will take months to get things back to normal.

This year, the National Leadership Seminar (NLS) is going international. The Western Region doesn’t just serve Arrowmen in 16 different states across the US, including Hawaii and Alaska but also Scouts and Scouters across the world in Japan, Australia, and many other countries as well. Just like any Arrowmen from around the Region, those who live in Japan and other foreign countries deserve to be taught how to be effective leaders and experience an Order of the Arrow staple.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take a little bit of jamboree home with you. One of the jamboree’s four shows was focused around fellowship and service, highlighting the Order of the Arrow. To celebrate all the Order of the Arrow has to offer and what it does for scouting a special commemorative patch was made for the occasion. Only a limited amount of patches were made and supply is running out fast.